SIR JEREMY BEECHAM AND MR MARK BURNS-WILLIAMSON

16 DECEMBER 2008

  Q40  Chairman: Is it unusual for police officers to phone the Chairman of a police authority to inform them that they are going to arrest an individual? I am not talking about any individual case, I am talking generally. Do you get calls from your chief constable saying, "I am going to arrest Tom, Dick or Harry"?

  Mr Burns-Williamson: If it is deemed to be of such sensitivity, I would receive a call, yes, in terms of a critical incident and risk management, and that is down to a good relationship between the chair and the chief constable.

  Q41  Chairman: So there are no rules on this but it is custom and practice that if someone is to be arrested you would be contacted?

  Mr Burns-Williamson: I think most police authorities have a risk register, and we look at ways of a protocol being in place where the Chairman and, indeed, other members of the police authority are informed of critical incidents within a given area.

  Q42  Chairman: So all authorities would have this risk register, would they?

  Mr Burns-Williamson: I think most authorities will have a risk register in place, yes.

  Mr Winnick: Do you have any case in mind, Chair?

  Q43  Chairman: I am speaking generally. You have been following the De Menezes case. Obviously it is a Met case, and it has now concluded. Are you, as individual authorities looking at the lessons to be learnt from this matter, or are you waiting for someone to tell you to do this?

  Mr Burns-Williamson: No, we are constantly looking at lessons to be learnt from the major reviews of incidents like the De Menezes case, and the APA regularly provide guidance to police authorities on good governance. So, yes, that is something that is on-going for police authorities, but, let us be clear, the operational independence of policing is very important and there is a line there. Yes, as chair I can be informed of such incidents, but at the end of the day it is an operational matter for the judgment of the Force to carry out and, yes, the police authority will have a view in terms of the governance of that.

  Chairman: Gentlemen, thank you very much for coming in. You have made your views very, very clear indeed. I am sorry the Minister is not here to put his views forward, but we are very grateful to you for coming. Thank you very much.